Dr. Mark Husbands

Leonard and Marjorie Maas Chair of Reformed TheologyDirector of the Emmaus Scholars ProgramFellow of the Center for Ministry Studies

Hope College

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Dr. Mark Husbands

Leonard and Marjorie Maas Chair of Reformed TheologyDirector of the Emmaus Scholars ProgramFellow of the Center for Ministry Studies

Hope College

Welcome!

"The theologian who labors without joy is not a theologian at all. Sulky faces, morose thoughts and boring ways of speaking are intolerable in this science...But we must know, of course, that it is only God who can keep us from it." (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, II/1, p. 656)

Ever wonder about the call of God on your life? Here is a link to a sermon that I preached in Dimnent Chapel at Hope College (October 2, 2014) on "What is the Call of God? — Jonah and Justice". It was a privilege to proclaim God's love for those on the margin — and a joy to share what is closest to God's heart: justice, mercy and forgiveness.

Dr. Mark Husbands holds the Leonard and Marjorie Maas Chair of Reformed Theology. In this capacity, he offers academic and professional leadership to Hope College and the Reformed Church in America. In 2014 he won the Academic Computing Innovation Award. In 2013, he was named a Fellow of the Center for Ministry Studies. In 2012, he was appointed the founding Director of the Emmaus Scholars Program, an innovative one-year academic/residential/intentional Christian community focused upon spiritual formation, calling, racial reconciliation, poverty, and integral mission. In 2007, he was named the inaugural occupant of the Leonard and Marjorie Maas Chair in Reformed Theology marking the point at which he joined the Hope College faculty.

Teaching

Scholarship

Click here to access an academia.edu site that includes a sample of recent scholarship.

Integral Mission

Click here to learn more about my work with integral mission and the Emmaus Scholars Program.

Teaching

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Teaching

As a professor at Hope College I teach a number of classes available to all students whether they are enrolled in the Christian History and Theology Major or simply seeking to fulfill their General Educations requirements.

As the Director of the Emmaus Scholars Program I teach a number of classes that are only available to Emmaus Scholars including the Emmaus Seminar on Reconciliation, REL295, and the experiential learning course, MIN395, "Integral Mission and Intentional Community".

I teach the REL295 seminar and the first half of MIN395 course each fall and in the Spring I teach the second half of MIN395, "Integral Mission and Intentional Community".

Emmaus Scholars Program

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Emmaus Scholars Program

What is the Emmaus Scholars Program?

Emmaus Scholars spent the day with Jared Noetzel of Bread for the World learning about the biblical and theological basis of advocacy prior to lobbying Congress on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), March 19, 2015

One way to better understand the underlying theological and biblical roots of the Emmaus Scholars Program is to listen to a sermon (preached on October 1, 2014) by the Director of the Emmaus Scholars Program, Dr. Mark Husbands. The sermon was designed to provide an answer to the question "What is the calling of God". I focused here on God's calling of Jonah - a call to Justice and Mission.

WHY SHOULD YOU BECOME AN EMMAUS SCHOLAR?

The Emmaus Scholars Program exists to help you discern God's calling upon your life. By giving you an intentional Christian community, a place to learn what God says about forgiveness, justice, witness and mission, by connecting your passions, gifts, and skills to God's purposes for the kingdom, we help you to find your place in the larger, story of God and God's love for the world.

Every Spring Break we spend the week serving, learning, and sharing in the work of justice in Washington, D.C. Want to see that this looks like? Check out this digital narrative of Emmaus in DC.

We want every Emmaus Scholar to find a deep and lasting sense of purpose: to figure out what God wants to do through them.

Check out the following video from our friends at FTE - we approach all of this in very similar ways.

The Emmaus Scholars Program is an intentional Christian community focused upon "lived theology" and "integral mission".

What is "lived theology"?

"Lived Theology" takes place in the midst of an active and vital community of Christian faith that intentionally joins head, heart, and hands. Lived theology seeks to avoid abstract learning cut off from the concrete needs of race, economic inequality, relational poverty and human needs.

What is "integral mission"?

Integral mission focuses upon both the > proclamation> and > demonstration> of God's > transformative> love. Integral mission connects Jesus and Justice in ways that create space for people to encounter the peace and reconciliation of the Kingdom of God.

You can get a good sense of what current Emmaus Scholars are learning by reading their blogs.

Emmaus Scholars with "Hollywood" (chef Vincent Moore) from Christ House (a fully integrated medical facility and intentional community serving homeless men and women) in Washington, D.C., March 20, 2014.

Some of the blog posts focus upon our “site visits” (sharing in community development and justice work in and around Holland), others are personal reflections or even pieces that emerge out of the collaborative research being done by Emmaus Scholars as they consider the intersection of integral mission and issues of poverty, health care, economics, politics, gender, or race.

Why Should you become an Emmaus scholar?

The Emmaus Scholars Program exists to help you discern God's calling upon your life. By giving you an intentional Christian community, a place to learn what God says about forgiveness, justice, witness and mission, by connecting your passions, gifts, and skills to God's purposes for the kingdom, we help you to find your place in the larger, story of God and God's love for the world.

We want every Emmaus Scholar to find a deep and lasting sense of purpose: to figure out what God wants to do through them.

Check out the following video from our friends at FTE - we approach all of this in very similar ways.

Who can Apply?

If you are a Christian student (freshman or sophmore) at Hope:

looking to join a great community of students who want to share in the work of the kingdom of God;

wanting to grow spiritually, socially, intellectually, and morally;

seeking to learn how to love the poor, demonstrate and proclaim God's love for the broken;

wondering how your faith can be the foundation of your learning about racial reconciliation, poverty, economic inequality and social responsibility;

open to developing strong servant-leadership skills;

eager to grow and learn all of this within a supportive and spiritually vital community; then…the Emmaus Scholars Program is for you!

Honored to have Provost Rich Ray as our Emmaus Scholars "Mennonite Dinner" guest. Hope is privileged to have such a wise and thoughtful Christian leader. #hopecollege #emmausscholars

Happy Birthday Elliott!

A packed Hope College chapel to hear John Cotton, (u.s prosecutor of human trafficking). Moving encouragement to do the serious and hard work of justice #evangelicals4justice #HopeCollege #emmausscholars

Emmaus Scholars were blessed to have Beth Snyder with us for dinner. It always good to be reminded of how crucial it is to resist pursuing security in order to follow Christ.

Spread the news about this great one-year program at Hope!

Living in intentional, loving, and reflective Christian community, Emmaus Scholars seek to embody a life of scholarship, prayer, hospitality, and integral mission (a ministry of Christian witness and social responsibility).

2013-2014 Emmaus Scholars

The Emmaus Scholars Program has been shaped by the biblical and theological work of Global South scholars. The presence of God’s life and witness throughout various cultures and peoples is a tremendous gift, source of joy, and witness to the reconciling peace of Christ. Accordingly, we believe that diversity is a wonderful gift of God, and offers us a key interpretive lens and window upon biblical justice. Students of color and international students are strongly encouraged to apply to become Emmaus Scholars!

Following the biblical mandate to pursue justice, mercy, and reconciliation (Micah 6:8, 2 Cor 5:16-20), the Emmaus Scholars Program embodies the following distinctives: